What is scary to me is silly to somebody else. CG isn't scary to me. It's like comedy - comedy and horror are quite similar, in that there'll always be somebody who'll say, 'I don't think that was funny.' And it's the same with things that are meant to be scary.
Interpretation
Different individuals perceive fear and humor differently based on their personal experiences.
In this quote, Guillermo Del Toro expresses the idea that fear and laughter are both subjective experiences. What terrifies one person may seem trivial or amusing to another, highlighting the vast range of human emotions and perceptions. He illustrates this by comparing the reactions to comedy and horror, suggesting that both genres invoke varying responses depending on the audience's perspective.
In practice
In a discussion about horror films, one might use this quote to highlight the diverse reactions of viewers.
I don't try to sanction other people's joy in monsters. I mean, I think the fact is, humor, fantasy - you know, like fear, desire or laughter - create genres of their own: comedy, melodrama, or erotic films or horror films... The boundaries cannot be defined. It's to each his own.
As a director, I design every movie to be true to itself, and damn it if they like it, and damn it if they don't.
If you ask me, I alternate between truly bizarre, what you would call 'Hollywood' movies and truly bizarre, what you would call 'arthouse' movies.
But I think we are seeing a resurgence of the graphic ghost story like The Others, Devil's Backbone and The Sixth Sense. It is a return to more gothic atmospheric ghost storytelling.
The saddest journey in the world is the one that follows a precise itinerary. Then you're not a traveler. You're a f@@king tourist.
When you start with Super 8, you are everything. You're the DP, the sound man, the effects guy. And what I started understanding, by working for other people, is that the best type of director is someone who rose through the ranks.
Every period ruled by mystics was an era of stagnation and want, when most men were on strike against existence.
People 'demand' the opportunity to gamble away money they do not have, just like people 'demand' money from loan sharks at extortionate interest rates. This is a warped, empty type of freedom, in which the powerful are free to exploit the vulnerable.
It's only now that I see the bigger picture: Our ways to attain spirituality may be different - through diverse religious, customs and traditions - but they're modeled on similar principles and ideologies. That's what ties us all together.
Force is the only language the imperialists can hear, and no country became free without some sort of violence.
I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will.
Equality and prosperity shouldn't be seen as enemies of each other, but as partners. One reinforces the other.
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